Table 3.
Summary of outcomes of knee sleeve used in clinical and documented experimental studies
| Author, year | Sample | Sample size | Study design | Age, mean SD (years) | Study duration | Outcome measures | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohd Sharif et al., 2019 [92] | Simple knee sleeve vs knee sleeve with patella cutout | Female (15), Male (2) | Comparative study | 47.7 ± 9.7 | 6 weeks | WOMAC | Significant reduction in pain, early stance, and late stance knee adduction moment |
| Schween et al., 2015 [100] | Knee Sleeve Osteoarthritis of the medial tibiofemoral joint |
Male (19) Female (8) |
A prospective comparative study (with/without elastic knee sleeve) | 50 ± 9 | Immediate | Kinetic gait analysis | Knee adduction angle at ground contact was reduced by 1.9 ± 2.1° with the use of a sleeve Peak knee adduction was reduced by 1.5 ± 6° |
| Kwon et al., 2014 [95] | Knee sleeve Patients with a history of ACL reconstruction |
Male (13) | Randomized controlled trial (pre/post-silicon sleeve application) | 28.27 | Immediate | Dynamic balance tests, TUG, stair step test, vertical jump test, proprioception test, isokinetic knee strength test |
Application of silicone sleeve showed significant effects in proprioceptive function on the operated side compared to both taping and control conditions Muscle strength on the operated side of the quadriceps and hamstring was significantly improved compared with none or taping |
| Giotis et al., 2013 [99] | Knee sleeve Patients with a history of unilateral ACL reconstruction with BPTB autograft |
Male (20) | A prospective comparative study (prophylactic brace/patellofemoral brace (sleeve)/non-braced) | 27.1 ± 3.4 | Immediate | Kinematic data | The range of motion of tibial rotation was significantly lower in the intact knee compared with all 3 conditions of the ACL-reconstructed knee Placing a brace or a sleeve on the ACL-reconstructed knee resulted in lower rotation than in the non-braced condition |
| Collins et al, 2012 [93] | Knee sleeve Knee OA |
Male (22) Female (30) |
Counterbalanced, repeated measures with SRES | 61.2 ±9.6 | Immediate | Center of pressure displacement | Neoprene knee sleeves show no significant improvement in knee balance |
| Mortaza et al, 2012 [119] | Knee sleeve and prophylactic knee brace Healthy male collegiate athletes |
Male (31) | Cross-over randomized controlled trial Prophylactic knee brace with neoprene knee sleeves |
21.2 ± 1.5 | Immediate | Single-leg vertical jump test Cross-over hop tst. Isokinetic Strength Test |
No statistical significance was found between the 4 (non-braced control, a neoprene sleeve, a neoprene sleeve with four metal supports, and prophylactic knee brace) testing conditions while performing the single-leg vertical jump test and the cross-over hop tests |
| Collins et al., 2011 [93] | knee sleeve Stochastic resonance ES+knee sleeve Knee OA |
Male (22) Female (30) |
Counterbalance sequence design of two treatment conditions (stochastic resonance ES+knee sleeve/knee sleeve/no sleeve+ES) | 61.2 (9.6) | Immediate | Kinetic gait data Kinematic gait data EMG data |
75% threshold/sleeve and sleeve-only conditions resulted in increased knee flexion at contact and reduced loading rates compared to the control condition Muscle co-contraction was found to decrease with the 75% threshold/sleeve condition compared to the other conditions |
| Bryk et al., 2011 [58] | Knee sleeve Knee OA | 74 | Randomized controlled trial (with or without knee sleeves) | – | – | SCPT, TUG test, 8MW test, VAS for pain | Statistically significant reduction in pain with knee sleeve use compared to without knee sleeve use Statistically significant improvements in 8MW and TUG tests sleeve use compared to without knee sleeve use |
| Wilson et al., 2010 [97] | Knee sleeve Cadaver lower extremities |
Male (4) Female (5) |
Cross-over study (knee sleeve, patellar stabilization sleeve, patellar stabilization brace, control) | 62.7 (52–75) | Immediate | Contact area & pressure | All braces increased contact area, but the wrap-style patellar stabilization brace decreased peak pressure on the PF joint A decrease in magnitude and proximal shift in the location of the peak PF pressure was demonstrated with a wrap-style patellar stabilization brace Both patellar stabilization sleeves and the knee sleeve significantly increased contact area compared with the wrap-style patellar stabilization brace |
| Birmingham et al., 2008 [120] | Functional knee brace compared to knee sleeve | Brace: Male (36) Female (40) Sleeve: Male (37) Female (37) |
Randomized controlled clinical trial (functional knee brace/neoprene sleeve) | Brace: 26.8 ± 8.9 Sleeve: 28.2 ± 10.1 |
2 years | ACL-Quality of Life Questionnaire Anterior tibial translation single limb forward hop test. Tegner Activity Scale Subjective questionnaire |
No significant difference between brace and sleeve drops for any outcomes at 1- and 2-year follow-ups Subjective ratings of confidence in the knee provided by the brace/sleeve were higher for the brace group than the sleeve group |
| Van Tiggelen et al., 2008 [l02] |
Knee sleeve Healthy subjects |
Male (49) Female (15) |
A prospective comparative study (with/without elastic knee sleeve) | 24.44 ± 4.56 | Immediate | Proprioception | On the braced side, no significant differences were observed between the baseline assessment and the third assessment Neoprene knee sleeves compensate for the deficit in joint position sense due to fatigue |
| Chuang et al., 2007 [89] | Knee sleeve Knee OA |
Male (8) Female (42) |
Cross-over randomized controlled trial (with or without neoprene sleeve) | 61.24 ± 8.8 (group A) 64.32 ± 10.4 (group B) |
Immediate | Static & dynamic balance tests | Knee OA subjects wearing knee sleeves showed better balance control in static and dynamic conditions than those without neoprene sleeves |
| Miller et al., 2005 [98] | Knee sleeve D1 collegiate athletes |
Male (12) Female (12) |
A 2 × 2 × 3 × 5 factorial design with replicated measures on 3 variables | 21.79 | Immediate | Skin (an anterior aspect of thigh) and muscle (vests lateralis) temperature | Thigh sleeve showed no effect on intramuscular temperature before or during exercise, but post-exercise temperatures averaged 0.5 °C higher Exercise intensity showed 1.3 to 2.0 °C increases in temperature with sleeve use Females showed higher intramuscular temperatures than males when donning sleeves; however, males had higher skin temperatures than females |
| Mazzuca et al., 2004 [88] | Knee sleeve Knee OA |
Male (12) Female (40) |
Double-blind, randomized controlled trial (verum sleeve/placebo sleeve) | 62.7 ± 11.2 | 8 weeks Don sleeves for 12 h daily for 4 weeks |
WOMAC | Subjects with verum sleeves reported a decrease in mean WOMAC pain score relative to baseline No statistically significant difference between groups |
| Hassan et al., 2002 [86] | Knee bandage Knee OA |
Male (19) Female (49) |
Cross-over, within-subject study (randomized, standard-sized/loose-sized bandages, pre- and post-time points) | 67.1 (36–87) | 2 weeks/treatment arm | VAS WOMAC Static postural sway Proprioceptive acuity |
The standard-sized bandage did not affect knee pain, proprioception, or postural sway Proprioceptive acuity and postural sway improved with looser bandages, but the benefit was lost upon removal |
| Kirkley et al., 1999 [38] | Knee sleeve Patients with varus gonarthrosis+knee OA |
Male (86) Female (33) |
Prospective, parallel group, randomized clinical trial (unloader knee brace/neoprene sleeve/control) | 59.5 | 6 months | WOMAC MACTAR Assess function: 6-MWT, 30-second stair-climbing test |
Improvement in disease-specific quality of life and function in both knee brace groups compared with the control group A significant difference between the unloader brace group and the neoprene-sleeve group in pain after 6-MWT and 30-s stair-climbing test Te unloader brace was, on average, more effective than the neoprene sleeve |
| McNair et al., 1996 [15] | Knee sleeve Healthy subjects |
Male (10) Female (10) |
2 × 2 Latin square cross-over design (with/without knee sleeve) | 28 (5) | Immediate | Angle and force data | 11 % improvement in tracking when subjects wore the knee brace |